Alibi Picks

Prints Among Men

Perhaps you’re actually in the market for a thousand-dollar etching. (If so, this is your lucky month.) Or maybe you’re more like, “Upon which exotic flavor of ramen shall I be feasting tonight?” It really doesn’t matter. Because world-class fine art—for all its exquisite technique and rarefied materials—exists for the same reason as any art: to be appreciated. And right here, in nearby Nob Hill, Matrix Fine Art (3812 Central SE) is showcasing the work of two brilliant Japanese artists for the benefit of all and sundry.

Ando Shinji’s delicate and meticulous botanicals, imbued with swaths of soft color through a paper-fusing technique called chine-collé, have made him and his prints internationally revered. Takahiko Hayashi’s abstracts are very different but equally impressive, churning, swirling and coiling with lines, simple shapes and often luminous color. Both artists are flying in from Japan for the First Friday reception tomorrow, from 5 to 8pm, which means you have the chance to mingle with living, breathing masters and appreciate their skill up close. Besides, a little bit of beauty always makes the ramen tastier. Matrix Fine Art • Fri Feb 7 • 5-8pm • FREE • ALL-AGES! • View on Alibi calendar